Canadian no-tillers often complain their growing season is too short to add cover crops to their rotation or diversify their cash crops.

My family farms on what is known as the Comanche Flats just northwest of Billings, Mont. As the name implies, the terrain is relatively level — in fact, the plow horses my great grandfather used to work the land were likely grateful for — so erosion isn’t a major concern for us.

If you ask Colby Johnson about his decision to invest in a land roller, he’ll tell you he wishes he had made the purchase sooner rather than later.

Having started no-tilling more than 40 years ago, David Black has seen soil health and yields continue to improve. But getting there was, at times, a test of faith.